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Ponderosa Rural Therapeutic Centre, Ponderosa Park, Off Smithies Lane, Heckmondwike WF16 0PN.
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Distribution: Central America and south Florida
Habitat: forest floors in amongst the leaves and dead wood.
Diet: I will eat basically anything making me an omnivore.
Lifespan: 8 months+
Did you know?
They have their name as they have a black skull on their head that resembles a skull and they have black wings which are like a cloak.
Distribution: Saba, in Borneo
Diet: fresh leaves of bramble / blackberry, rose, oak, raspberry and even ivy.
Lifespan: up to 2 years
Did you know?
Their spikes are not used to fight or sting, but in nature they do serve to make it harder to eat the stick insect.
Distribution: Malaysia
Diet: blackberry, raspberry, rose and ivy leaves.
Lifespan: up to 2 years
Did you know?
The Malayan Jungle Nymph is the heaviest of all stick insects!
Distribution: Thailand.
Habitat: Rainforest.
Diet: Herbivorous. Eat a wide array of vegetation.
Lifespan: around 1 year.
Distribution: Madagascar (South-western). Small region in and around the Isalo National Park.
Habitat:Wetlands/Primary and Secondary Forests. Usually found around seasonal streams, and in wet canyons.
Diet:Insectivorous. They eat a wide range of small invertebrates such as Ants, Fruit flies and Termites.
Lifespan: 3 years
Threats:Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade
IUCN Status: Endangered â
Did you know?
The bright and vibrant colour of all Mantella species is a warning to predators that they are poisonous.
There are little visible differences between Hermann's and Horsefield Tortoises. The only visible difference is that Hermann's tortoises have 5 toes on their feet and Horsefield tortoises only have 4.
Hermann's tortoises are found in Mediterranean Europe woods and grasslands and they can grow up to 7 inches!
They have very strong, shovel-like feet that allow them to dig lengthy burrows which gives them the ability to control the humidity. They are found in West Asian Grasslands and rocky areas and they can grow up to 8 - 10 inches in length!
Distribution:Madagascar
Habitat: Forest. Typically inhabits tropical rainforest and mangroves.
Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of small vertebrates.
Lifespan:15 years
Threats: Pet trade
IUCN Status and Trend:Least Concern
Did you know?
A female Malagasy tree boa is ovoviviparous. This means it doesn’t lay its eggs and instead incubates them within its own body.
Distribution: Madagascar (Northern)
Habitat: Forests. Range of habitats, from primary forests, plantations and even human settlements.
Diet:Omnivorous. They eat a wide array of invertebrates/small vertebrates. They will also eat fruits, nectar and pollen.
Lifespan:Up to 20 years, average 10 years.
Threats:Pet Trade
IUCN Status and Trend:Least Concern ?
Did you know?
These Geckos do not have eyelids. To clean their eyes they lick them!
Distribution: Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia)
Habitat: Rocky Areas and Savannah Grassland. Specialised to live in rocky areas with small crevices, ranging from desert to grasslands.
Diet: Omnivorous. Eats a wide array of plants, seeds and flowers, but will also opportunistically take invertebrates such as beetles.
Lifespan: 30-40 years
Threats: Pet Trade and Habitat degradation/fragmentation
IUCN Status and Trend: Critically Endangered
The shell of a pancake tortoise is light and flat which enables them to be good climbers and the fastest movers out of all the tortoise species. It also allows them to squeeze into the tight crevices between rocks.
Distribution: Central America (Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama)
Habitat: Tropical Forest and Savannah Grasslands. Range of habitats including forests, grasslands, coastal zones and even human settlements and plantations.
Diet: Omnivorous. Eat a wide array of fruits, plants and flowers but will opportunistically take smaller animals, eggs and invertebrates.
Lifespan: 15-20 years
Threats: Harvesting for human consumption
IUCN Status and Trend: Least Concern
This species is the fastest species of lizard in the world and has been recorded running at speeds of up to an astonishing 30mph!
Distribution: Central and South America
Habitat:Tropical Forests and Savannah Grasslands.
Diet: Omnivorous. Eat a wide array of fruits, plants and flowers but will also eat fungi and carrion.
Lifespan: 40+ years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet Trade
IUCN Status and Trend: Not Evaluated
This tortoise has a tall and narrow shell to help squeeze between trees when in the forests.
Distribution: South America (Including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago)
Habitat: Wetlands & Rivers
Diet: Omnivorous. Feed almost entirely on plant material such as fruits, seeds, leaves and algae but will also take freshwater sponges, eggs and carrion.
Lifespan: 40+ years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and poaching of eggs and adults
IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficient
The Giant South American River Turtle is one ofthe largest river turtles in the world
Distribution: South America (Including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago)
Habitat: Wetlands& Rivers
Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of vertebrates (mainly fish) and invertebrates, but will take small mammals and birds.
Lifespan: 20-40 years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and poaching
IUCN Status and Trend: Least Concern
They are the smallest species of caiman, only growing to around 1.5m
Distribution: Indonesia, Singapore, Eastern Malaysia, and Southern Thailand
Habitat: Forest. Typically inhabits tropical rainforest and mangroves.
Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of vertebrates including small mammals, birds and reptiles, including other snakes.
Lifespan: 10-15 years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation
IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficient
These snakes are also called ‘Yellow- Ringed Cat Snakes’. This is because they have large eyes with vertical slits like a cat!
Distribution: Indonesia (Restricted to the Aru Islands)
Habitat: Forest. Typically inhabits tropical rainforest and mangroves.
Diet: Carnivorous. Eats a wide array of invertebrates and small vertebrates.
Lifespan: 10-15 years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade
IUCN Status and Trend: Data Deficientâ
The tail of the Black Tree Monitor is prehensile, meaning they use it to hold on to branches to stabilise themselves while climbing
Distribution: Madagascar (South-west)
Habitat: Shrublands and Forests. Inhabit dry forests and thornbush.
Diet: Omnivorous. They eat a wide array on invertebrates/small vertebrates. They will also eat fruits, nectar and pollen.
Lifespan: Up to 20 years, average 10 years.
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade
IUCN Status and Trend: Vulnerable
The Standings Day Gecko is the largest species of Day Geckoand is one of the largest Geckos in Madagascar
Distribution: Madagascar(East-central).Restricted to 3 areas around the town of Moromanga
Habitat: Wetlands/Primary and Secondary Forests. Usually found in damp, swampy areas, often associated with Screw Pine forests.
Diet:Insectivorous. They eat a wide range of small invertebrates such as Ants, Fruit Flies, Termites.
Lifespan: 6-10 years
Threats: Habitat degradation/fragmentation and Pet trade
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
A group of Mantella is called an Army
The red knee tarantula (also known as the red-kneed tarantula) is a type of burrowing tarantula that inhabits the pacific mountains of Mexico. The red knee tarantula is most well-known for its hairy body and the red bands that don its legs.
The red knee tarantula typically grows to around 20cm in length but some particularly large individuals have been known to grow much bigger. The red knee tarantula has a relatively long lifespan for a spider as many get to be older than 30 years of age, however this is only the case for the female tarantula. This arachnid is totally carnivorous, eating a range of different prey. The Female Mexican Red Knee lays an average of 40 eggs which are then deposited into a silk sack for protection. The eggs will be in this silk sack for around a month until they hatch into tiny baby tarantulas or ‘Slings’ as they are known.
IUCN Red List Category– Near Threatened
These tortoises are a native of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel in Africa. To get to areas with higher moisture, these tortoises dig burrows which may reach up to 10 feet below the ground where they spend the warmer parts of the day.
They then come out when the blistering temperatures have cooled and a little more comfortable. Their hell is actually a modified rib cage which has evolved into a protective outer shell designed to prevent predators injuring or even killing the reptile. The tortoise will retract its head into its shell and then make a tight seal with its hard legs to prevent a predator from being able to damage its vital areas. Tortoises are reptiles, just like the dinosaurs were, and as a result are endothermic. This means that they control their body heat via the external environment and not through internal processes like ourselves.
IUCN Red List Category– Vulnerable
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